Joey Hardin
Joey Hardin is a former DEA agent, following in the footsteps of his father (who was killed in the line of duty). His first assignment, in 1988, was to impersonate an FBI-protected witness, Keith Mollis, essentially acting as a lure to draw any potential aggressors sent by drug lord Carlos Cantero away from the real Mollis. Hardin loved heavy-metal music, played it frequently and loudly, and also loved Miami's underground metal scene, even going so far as to sneak out of protective custody to visit rock clubs. After attempts on Hardin's life, he and James "Sonny" Crockett set sail on the St. Vitus Dance in an attempt to escape any further unwanted attention. During their time at sea they got to know each other well, overcoming some of their initial animosity. Attacks by hitmen continued, however, indicating a leak in the department, revealed to be FBI Agent Bates, who shot and seriously wounded Hardin when he and Crockett returned to shore. Hardin almost died in hospital from his wounds, but eventually pulled through, receiving a gift of a new boombox from Crockett, who told Hardin he could work with him anytime and became Crockett's protege. Ross Case In 1989, Crockett and Hardin (now a Metro-Dade Detective) crossed paths again in the Sebastian Ross drug case. Crockett gave Hardin the task of going undercover (as Joey Chandler) to work out a deal with middleman Ricky DeMaria for the cocaine Ross and Lewis Woods had stolen. After DeMaria's death, Hardin and Stan Switek went to see Morales, a mule in Ross' organization; while Switek got Morales drunk, Hardin went through his files and found a picture that proved Lewis and DeMaria were working for Ross, information that later helped bring Ross down. Baines Case Later in 1989, Hardin was introduced to a group of younger police officers working for the newly formed Young Criminals Unit (YCU), headed by Captain Paul Cutter. Along with his new partners Jack Andrews, Tania Louis, and Ray Mundy, Hardin was tasked with infiltrating Miami's colleges and schools to combat crime there, their younger age and more youthful appearance helping them to blend in where older cops could not. The YCU's first assignment was to apprehend child prodigy Terrence Baines, a professor at Bradfield College who was developing a new designer drug, Bliss, testing it on students at the school (often with fatal results). Hardin's style and confidence after several successful jobs with Crockett clashed with the other group members, but he was eventually able to bring the team together. The YCU managed to stop Baines' drug operation, and during a fight with Hardin, Baines fell to his death from the roof of a building, ironically dying in the same manner as many of the students he had used as illegal test subjects for Bliss. After some consideration, Hardin decided to remain with the YCU and became a permanent member. Notes *Lazard's character in "Miami Squeeze" is actually identified as Joey Chandler on-screen; however, it is reasonable to assume that he is the same Joey Hardin from other episodes, as Crockett is shown to have past experience with him, and his general introduction in the episode implies the viewer has met his character before. His given surname, "Chandler", is likely just a cover name, as it is used in the presence of criminals he is investigating undercover. Category:Season 5 characters Category:Recurring characters Category:DEA agents Category:Police officers